This simple sum tells you how many calories you need per day

Exactly how many calories you need each day is something that’s very individual.

There are general guidelines of course. The standard dietary advice is 2000 calories a day for women and 2500 for men.

But the actual calorie limitation of each person depends on a host of things like height, activity level and muscle tone to name a few.

Experts have now come up with a new formula they believe is more accurate. The good news is, you may end up needing more calories than you thought!

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First you need to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using The Schofield Calculator. This is the number of calories your body needs to survive if you did nothing all day. As in couch potato.

Then you pick your age bracket for your sex and jump on the scales to find out your exact weight (W) in kilos.

Then follow the following formula:

Women

10-17 years BMR = 13.4 x W (weight) + 692

18-29 years BMR = 14.8 x W + 487

30-59 years BMR = 8.3 x W + 846

Men

10-17 years BMR = 17.7 x W + 657

18-29 years BMR = 15.1 x W + 692

30-58 years BMR = 11.5 x W + 873

So if yuo are a 30-year-old female who weighs 62kgs this is the sum: 8.3 x 62 + 846. This equals a Basal Metabolic Rate of 1360 calories a day.

Then you need to apply it to one of the following activity figures.

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BMR x 1.4 inactive men and women: Someone who is desk bound mostly or doesn’t have a physically active job. Their lifestyle (out of work) would not include any form of structured exercise.

BMR x 1.6 moderately active women/ 1.7 for men: Someone with a physically demanding job or a job the involving lot of walking. Their lifestyle would include structured, moderate intensity exercise about 3 times a week.

BMR x 1.8 very active women/ 1.9 for men: Someone who performs intense exercise for one hour per day or has a very physical job.

So if we go back to our example…Let’s say our 30-year-old woman who is 62kgs actually works out 3 times a week. If so, she can consume 2176 calories a day.